Chemical-X Crisis (Knock It Off 2)
by DragonShadow
Summary: The one perfect Powerpuff Girl of Professor Dicks returns and tries to replace the original, but it leads to alot more than she bargained for.
1. Part 1

Chemical-X Crisis (Knock It Off 2)  
  
  
  
The sirens blared loudly through the night, the lights shining like beacons in the darkness. A single form zipped through the shadows, careful not to let the light touch her small frame. She streaked from shadow to shadow, careful to avoid both the searchlights and the scientists who searched for her. She almost made it out without a fuss when one of the lights came down on her fully.  
  
"There it is! Stop it!" She whirled on the scientist that closed I behind her, one solid punch to the jaw sending him flying straight back toward the building. 'It', just she was a piece of hamburger waiting to be sold to someone. They wanted to melt her down, well they would have to catch her first. And Powerpuff Girls didn't go down easy.  
  
"You want a piece of me! Fine!" Buttercup screamed, flying forward in a flash of green light. She sent two more scientists flying before she saw the guards come out, carrying specially equipped pulse guns. She'd seen them used before on uncooperative subjects... that was part of the reason he tried to keep them as imperfect as possible. It was cheap, and they never questioned.  
  
"There it is! Take it down!" The blue pulses flashed through the night, but Buttercup was quicker than they could aim for. She streaked upward into the night sky, away from the damned lab where an entire race was herded and slaughtered when they presented a problem. She closed her eyes as she flew, muttering under her breath. She would return for them eventually, when she knew how to save them.  
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"Girls!" The Powerpuff Girls jumped in unison when Miss Keane's sharp voice broke through their dream haze. She looked to find her glaring at them sternly, her ruler tapping the palm of one hand. "Will you please pay attention? This is the third time today I've caught you zoning out." She told them.  
  
"We're sorry Miss Keane..." The girls replied in unison, looking down at their desk.  
  
Miss Keane's voice and expression softened as she approached their desk, looking down at them. "I'm starting to get worried girls, you haven't been yourselves at all for the last week. I've never had to yell at you this much." The girls exchanged a meek glance, but they didn't respond to her. She really had never known them to be so secretive, ever since that incident a week ago...  
  
"Well girls, why don't we take a recess and you can compose yourselves?" Miss Keane suggested. She stood up and looked around the classroom. "Okay children, fifteen minutes to do whatever you want. Make it count." The other kids all cheered and launched from their seats straight into seemingly prearranged games around the room. The girls decided not to join in though.  
  
"Come on girls, talk to me." Miss Keane pleaded.  
  
"We just haven't been feeling too good lately Miss Keane..." Blossom finally replied, forcing a small smile as she looked up at her teacher. "Really we'll be fine in a few more days..." She promised.  
  
"Well okay... just take it easy and try to have fun. Mike and Robin have missed you Bubbles." Miss Keane said. Bubbles looked over at her two best friends in the school, both of whom were sneaking a worried glance over at her. She sighed and smiled at them. Before she could speak though the hotline rang.  
  
Blossom streaked over to answer it. "Hello? What's the trouble Mayor?"  
  
"Blossom, someone's making funny faces at me from across the street!" The Mayors voice came back in a high-pitched frantic tone.  
  
Blossom sighed. "No, Mayor, we discussed this. Funny faces aren't an emergency, they can't hurt you even if they look like Harry Potter." She told him. Buttercup and Bubbles rolled their eyes.  
  
"But it's really really scary, she has these big bug eyes and this big, big head on a little tiny body, it looks like a cockroach girls, I'm scared." The Mayor complained. Blossom sighed, putting one hand over her eyes.  
  
"Okay okay Mayor, we're on our way." Blossom hung up and turned to the others, who already knew what was going on from listening to the conversation with their super hearing. They took off out the window and flew over Townsville to the Mayors office, breaking through the window to see him. "Okay Mayor, we need a description if we're going to find this face-making cockroach." She said.  
  
"Oh girls. She was two feet tall, with black hair and a big big head. She was wearing a green dress with a black stripe and she had big, big green eyes, it was so scary..." He moaned. The girls stared up at him for a minute before Blossom and Bubbles looked over at Buttercup, who was looking downright pissed off with her arms crossed in front of her.  
  
"Gee thanks a lot geezer..." She muttered under her breath.  
  
"Don't worry Mayor, we'll find this... um... cockroach girl." Blossom shrugged at Buttercup apologetically. Buttercup ignored her, floating back out the window and down to the ground. She walked along the street aimlessly, ignoring the citizens who were going about their daily lives. Coackroach girl indeed, probably some girl in a Buttercup Halloween costume. She had enough to deal with without the Mayor being scared of her.  
  
She whirled when she senses a slight movement in an alley not too far away. She streaked over and stood at the entrance, scanning the darkness for any sign of life. "Hello, anybody in here?" She walked into the alley, not really concerned about any attacks. She could take on anything the city had to offer.  
  
Without warning something slammed into her face, sending her against the brick wall. It hardly ended there however. A fist kept slamming into her face until she finally broke through the wall, flying to her back on the floor a good twenty feet away. The customers of the crowded restaurant all turned to watch as Buttercup rolled back to her feet, only to be greeted by more dizzying fists sending her through the back wall.  
  
She skidded to a stop right in front of a bank vault, shaking her head to try to regain her senses, but again she was caught and shoved up against the thick steel door. A fist harder than the steel behind her slammed into her face, embedding the back of her head into the steel door.  
  
Finally Buttercup gained enough of her senses to grab her attackers fist and drive it into the steal. Her attacker gave a yelp of pain and pulled back for an instant, all Buttercup needed. She lunged and let loose with her own shower of blows, but they were both already ready for a fight. They tore apart the front wall with a few missed punches, ripping the tile off the floor and putting several large dents in the vault.  
  
Finally though the surprise attack overwhelmed Buttercup, who yelped in shock when her head slammed into the marble floor in the lobby of the bank. Her eyes were hazing over as the flurry of movement ceased, but she got one good look at her attacker before she passed out. It was a mirror image of herself.  
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Buttercup landed lightly on the edge of the clip overlooking the ocean, past the once locked gate. She was carrying the unconscious Powerpuff Girl in her arms, looking down at her wondrously. It truly was amazing, it was almost like looking in a mirror. Her eyes were closed in restless slumber, her eyes darting around in her head behind closed lids.  
  
She approached the edge of the cliff where the lab had once stood, where she and her brethren had been created. The entire lab had fallen into the ocean once they flamed weakened it, consigning her entire race to the depths of the ocean before she ever had a chance to save them. She looked down at the unconscious girl in her arms, for a moment having second thoughts.  
  
They soon left however. She'd had enough of this exile, this hiding from everyone. Once the fiasco had ended, they'd destroyed all the Powerpuff Girl copies across the globe. She was sure if they found her, they would have destroyed her too. Her only choice to live happily, was to replace the one she so resembled. She could lead a happy life... the one she'd dreamed of for so long.  
  
"I'm sorry... forgive me." She said as she held the unconscious Powerpuff over the edge of the cliff. Finally she let go, watching the small frame of the Powerpuff Girl plummet toward the water in a spiral. She watched until it slammed into the harsh waves, vanishing beneath the raging torrent in less than five seconds. She shook her head and turned away, walking away from the cliff.  
  
Her old life was officially over, she wasn't a copy anymore. She wasn't a defective toy... she was Buttercup, a loved and cherished daughter and defender of Townsville. She would be happy.  
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Blossom floated down from the sky where she'd been surveying, looking as bored as Bubbles did. "Well find any cockroach girls Bubbles?" Blossom asked.  
  
"Nope, none over there." Bubbles replied. "How about you?"  
  
"Nothing here." Blossom replied. They both looked around for any sign of their sister, but they didn't see her anywhere. "Where did Buttercup go?" She asked curiously.  
  
"I'm here, sorry." Buttercup streaked down toward them from the sky, landing beside Blossom with an apologetic smile. "I uh... didn't find anything either." She smiled. Blossom rolled her eyes and looked up at the Mayor's office acidly.  
  
"Big surprise. Well I think school's over by now, so we'd might as well just head home. I think the Mayor's forgotten about his little scare earlier anyway." The girls all looked, to see the Mayor dancing to some music in his office that they couldn't hear.  
  
"At least we got out of school early." Bubbles sighed as she floated after Blossom. Buttercup took up the rear without a word, though usually she said something about Blossom always bringing up the front. Neither of the others noticed though, they were too sick of everything to really care.  
  
When they reached the house Blossom and Bubbles floated over to the TV, plopping down while Blossom turned it on with the remote. Buttercup followed more slowly, sitting on the edge of the couch and barely paying attention to what was on the screen. She watched the other two somewhat nervously, wringing her hands in her lap.  
  
"Oh you're home girls." The girls turned around at the sound of the Professor's voice entering from the kitchen. "Are you okay? Miss Keane called again today and said you weren't paying attention in class."  
  
"We're fine dad." Buttercup said quickly. The others all turned to stare at her in surprise. Buttercup looked down and smiled nervously. "Er... I mean... we're... fine enough..." She amended. The Professors eyes began to tear up as he ran over to her, pulling her into a hug.  
  
"That's the first time you've ever called me that..." The Professor said, trying his best to squeeze the life out of her if she wasn't a superhero.  
  
"Um... of course I... just... uh..." Buttercup sputtered in confusion. She'd been watching people all around Townsville and kids always called their parents 'dad'. She guessed she would just have to find out what was normal for this obviously abnormal family.  
  
"Well you sit right here, I almost have lunch ready." The Professor was grinning as he set her down and headed into the kitchen, a new spring in his step from earlier before. Buttercup looked back down to see Blossom and Bubbles both staring at her blankly.  
  
"What was that all about?" Blossom asked.  
  
"I... was just... well I just felt bad and... um... I just wanted to... call him that." Buttercup smiled slightly. "Can't be depressed forever..." She added when she saw the looks on their faces. She wasn't completely sure what they were depressed about, but from the looks on their faces it was like they'd been depressed for weeks.  
  
"How can you say that when hundreds of Powerpuffs died to save us?" Bubbles asked in surprise. Buttercup stared at her, her mouth hanging open in shock. That was why they were so depressed? Somehow she'd thought they wouldn't care about the others... or her. She'd underestimated them... but in a way, this made her feel better.  
  
"Well, I don't think we should dwell on it." Buttercup told them, scooting over to put an arm around her sisters. "I think they would feel better knowing they, just once, saved the day for everyone else just like you... us!" She smiled nervously. "Just like us."  
  
"Yeah... maybe you're right Buttercup." Blossom smiled for perhaps the first time in several weeks. Her eyes studied Buttercup very carefully. "Are you okay? You're acting kinda different, and your dress is filthy." She noticed.  
  
"Oh..." Buttercup looked down at herself. She hadn't ever had time to wash it or had anything to change into. "I guess I tripped in the alley and didn't realize I was so dirty..." She explained quickly.  
  
"Well come on, you should change out of those clothes. You're going to get the rest of the house dirty." Blossom floated up from the couch and headed for the stairs. Buttercup smiled and followed after her. This would take some getting used to, but it would be a pleasure.  
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The echoing ping of falling water droplets sounded like the beating of some giant heart in the open space of the cavern Buttercup saw when she finally opened her eyes. Her head was aching and her stomach felt like it had fifty needles sticking into it. Without a word she hunched over and opened her mouth, throwing up a bucketload of water and a few small fish.  
  
"Yuck..." She threw the fish back behind her, listening to them hit the pool of water behind her. "Where the heck am I..." She stood up on shaking knees, looking around. The cavern was pretty big, with only one exit branching off to one side. Behind her was a pool of water, which undoubtedly had washed her up in her for some reason. "Well whatever, I need to get that imposter!" She streaked up toward the ceiling and slammed a fist into it.  
  
A loud rumbling echoed through the cavern, giving her reason to pause. She whirled and streaked for the exit as the entire ceiling started coming down around her, coating her entire frame with dust and dirt. She reached the exit just before the cavern disappeared underneath the seemingly limitless pile of dirt and stone.  
  
"Maybe not that way... how far down AM I anyway?" Buttercup whirled and stared down the long looking tunnel before her, a grim line setting on her lips as she started to walk away from the rubble. She'd just blocked off her entrance to the cave complex, but there had to be another way out somewhere around here. She just hoped the roof held up long enough for her to find it.  
  
She trudged along for what seemed like an eternity. Her Supervision was the only reason she was able to see anything in the pitch-blackness of the cave corridor. Occasionally she stumbled upon a bit of phosphorescent moss in the dark, moist parts of the cave. The constant sounds of dripping water followed her the entire way, until she found her footsteps matched the sound.  
  
She grumbled and floated the rest of the way when she realized she was doing this. Finally she looked up and saw a crack in the roof of the cavern, leading up into a larger chamber. "Finally, a way to go where I need to go... UP." She floated up through the hole to take a look around.  
  
This chamber wasn't any brighter than the cavern below, but still she could see fine. It was very large, with machinery clearly visible behind another crumbling brick wall. She could see small things and flecks of sand scattered around the ground almost randomly in piles and clumps. Though some of it had been disturbed by the rats and mice from the tunnel.  
  
"What the..." Buttercup floated over to one pile and picked up a bit of the stuff, examining it. It was sugar, and when she examined the rest she found it to be a rather sharp kind of spice. "Whoa..." She floated up and looked around again. Sugar, Spice, and Everything nice was scattered around the room, forming what must have been hundreds of clumps. This was what remained of Professor Dick's factory... these were the remains of the other girls.  
  
"Just what I need..." Buttercup let the ingredients fall from her hands and floated carefully above the piles, not really eager to touch them. She stopped when she heard a soft whimpering noise from up ahead. She stared at the spot she thought it was coming from and looked through the bit of rubble with her X-Ray vision.  
  
Her eyes widened when she saw a Powerpuff girl in a purple dress huddled behind the rubble. Her eyes were larger than normal, encompassing her entire head with her mouth only down at the bottom. Her arms were only half as long as Buttercups own, and her hair was red, but a tangled mess that weaved down her back hopelessly.  
  
"Hey... are you okay in there?" Buttercup called out softly. The girl perked up, staring straight back at her through the rubble.  
  
"Back... The Perfect One's back!" The girl broke through the rubble with her body and slammed into Buttercup, her stubby arms clasping her as tight as they possibly could. Buttercup stumbled under the sudden impact, but she didn't lose her footing.  
  
"Perfect one? What are you talking about?" Buttercup demanded. She stopped when she heard at least a dozen more cries of excitement as Powerpuff Girls floated out of various places, with various body deformations and shapes. "Some of you did survive."  
  
"We were waiting for you, you promised to come back." The one in the purple dress told her. "They were going to melt you down and take your Chemical-X, but you told us to wait for you and escaped... remember?" Buttercup stared down at her, realizing just what this meant. This 'Perfect One' must have been the puff that knocked her out and threw her down here.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't wait too much longer." She tried to pry the purple puff off of her. "If you'll excuse me I have to get out of here and get my life back."  
  
"Please help us." One of the other puffs floated up to her taking Buttercups hand in both of hers. "We need you." Buttercup stared at her, realizing they thought SHE was the one they were waiting for.  
  
"Hold on a minute here, I'm no 'perfect one', I'm not the girl you were... waiting... for..." Her voice trailed off when she saw the looks on the deformed Powerpuff Girls' faces. Her eyes scanned over each one, the look of renewed hope and trust burning brightly in each of their eyes. They were depending on her now, could she shrug them off just to get her own life back?  
  
"Okay..." Buttercup finally said. "I'll help you... there's another tunnel down below, it has to lead somewhere. We can follow it." The puffs gave a loud cheer of joy, setting the entire cave to rumbling as the noise reverberated off the walls. "SSSSHHHHH! You're going to bury us!" Buttercup hissed sharply. The puffs shut up, but they gave another whispered cheer instead.  
  
"Come on, this way." Buttercup turned to lead them back to the opening in the bottom of the chamber. It almost felt good leading like this, she rarely had opportunities to do this. All she had to do was find a way out for all of them.  
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The moon shone brightly as the new member of the Utonium family stared out the window at the stars overhead dressed in her nightgown. Buttercup had been getting to know her new sisters all day, laughing and having fun for the first time in her life. She wondered if the others suspected anything, but if they did, they didn't show it. They'd had a great time after all.  
  
"It's time for bed Buttercup." Blossom said from the bed, pushing it down so they could climb under the sheets. Before they settled down though they heard the hotline start beeping. "Aw man..." Blossom streaked over to pick up the phone. "Yes Mayor? A fisherman trapped in a landslide? We're on our way!" She slammed the phone down and turned to the others. "Come on girls, we have a fisherman to save!"  
  
So Blossom and Bubbles got dressed in under a second and streaked out the window, leaving Buttercup staring after them. Finally she got dressed and streaked after them, following their still fresh light trails to the hill overlooking the ocean where Professor Dick's lab had once stood. The entire hill looked like it had caved inward, leaving a crater in the middle and a steep slope where much of the earth had slid into the water.  
  
"Does anybody see him around?" Blossom asked, flying low over the crater and extending landscape. Buttercup flew low, examining the area carefully. It had looked just fine to her earlier that day. Why would it suddenly collapse like this?  
  
She flew down to the water, staring down into it thoughtfully. She had a bad feeling something wasn't quite right. She turned to head back up to her sisters when she saw an arm sticking out of the rubble. "I found him!" She streaked down and dug the man out, carrying him back up to the more stable footing on top of the hill.  
  
"Nice eye Buttercup." Blossom told her, looking down at the scared and frightened man. "But what on Earth happened here? Landslides like this don't just happen, it almost looked like the hill itself imploded."  
  
"I don't know." The man replied. "One minute I was sitting on the edge of the hill minding my own business, the next the ground itself started moving and I was trapped under all the rubble. Oh it was terrible."  
  
"Well you're safe now, so don't worry." Blossom floated up to join Bubbles and Buttercup high above the hill. "What do you guys think?"  
  
"I think it's bed time..." Bubbles yawned.  
  
"Yeah..." Buttercup agreed softly. "I think we should get some sleep and forget about it, probably just a small Earthquake or something..." She said, though she was hardly convinced of that herself.  
  
"I guess you're right. There's not much we can do right now anyway. If anything else happens we can worry, but this time everyone's safe." Blossom agreed. "Well come on girls, let's get back home." Her and Bubbles turned to streak back home, but Buttercup stuck around for a few moments.  
  
"Did I really have a right to replace you..." She mumbled, staring down at the water where she'd thrown the original Buttercup mere hours before. Finally she turned to follow her new sisters, a single doubt nagging at the back of her mind.  
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"One, Two, Three, Four, keep moving girls we're at a good pace, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four." Buttercup called back to the line of Powerpuff Girls as they jogged at a decent speed through the caves. It turned out several of the girls couldn't fly, and none of them could maneuver as well as Buttercup herself could. So they were forced to jog/march, which took a lot longer to get them anywhere.  
  
"AAAHHH!" One of the girls in the back of the line gave a high-pitched scream of terror. Buttercup whirled in time to see a dark gray form tackle a puff in a yellow dress, pinning her to the ground with one massive claw while her arms struggles to hold its jaws back. It looked like a rat, but it was three feet tall and its limbs were four times longer than they should have been in relation to its body.  
  
Buttercup streaked through the crowd of stunned girls until she could slam a fist into its face, sending it hurtling back against the wall. To her shock it landed with its feet against the wall, lunging back without missing a beat. She barely dodged its return strike, moving back toward the other wall with it slowly stalking her, its claws lashing out.  
  
Finally she lunged forward and hit it in the face again, dodging its return blow by whirling, lashing out with one foot. The kick connected, but again it rebounded easily and lunged, biting into her arm.  
  
"Agh! Get off of me!" Buttercup yelled, whirling with it still attached to her arm. She slammed its body full force into the wall, dislodging its vice-like grip. She looked in shock to find herself bleeding, which she had never done before. "What the...?"  
  
The creature growled and lashed out with its tail. Buttercup flattened herself down, barely avoiding the horizontal whip as it sliced through the far wall like a razor. Buttercup floated up again, watching as the creature lashed out with its tail. She whirled with the tail, grabbing the blade firmly between her mitts and yanked it around, bringing the entire creature around.  
  
"Now stay down Fido!" She spun it around and slammed it into the wall, whirling one more time before she sent herself careening into the creature head, burying it deep in the earth that made up the wall. She hovered back and landed, her knees shaking slightly as she cradled her injured arm. Her hands were now bleeding from gripping the blade, but otherwise she was just tired.  
  
She turned to look down at the yellow puff. "Are you okay?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, I think so..." The Powerpuff Girl replied, pushing herself up to her feet.  
  
"Good... now what the HECK was that thing!?" She demanded loudly, her voice echoing through the caves, demanding an answer from somebody. The other girls just watched her wondrously as she turned to stare at the creature. It looked like a rat, but it was mutated almost beyond recognition...  
  
She stopped and turned back to the girls. "What happened to the Chemical-X?" She asked quickly.  
  
"What do you mean?" The purple dressed puff asked.  
  
"When the other girls were converted to their base components, it should have been Sugar, Spice, Everything Nice, and Chemical-X, but there was no Chemical-X! Where was it?" She asked again.  
  
"Oh the liquid... it drained down into the tunnels while the other ingredients stayed where they were." The purple puff replied. "Why?"  
  
Buttercup slowly turned to look down at the creature in horror. It drank the Chemical-X, and there was no way it was the only one. The Chemical-X of hundreds of Powerpuff Girls drained down here... the entire cave complex must be full of Chemical-X mutations by now. If even a small number of them found their way out to Townsville...  
  
"We have to get out of here... as fast as we can." She said, grabbing the purple puffs hand. "Form a chain, we're going to be running top speed and we don't want anyone tripping. Just follow me." She waited only until they were all linked together before she took off down the tunnel, slowly speeding up. Only a few of the others were able to keep pace, otherwise she was hauling the entire chain behind her. It didn't matter, they just had to get out of there, and soon.  
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Buttercup lay in bed sullenly, staring at Bubbles beside her. She was still awake, hugging her little octopus doll to her chest with her eyes closed. Buttercup bit her lip and stared at the little doll, wishing she knew what it was called...  
  
"Bubbles, can I see that for a minute?" Buttercup asked. Bubbles looked over at her in surprise, then down at her toy.  
  
"Octi? Um... well sure..." She handed over the stuffed toy.  
  
"Octi huh..." Buttercup commented, putting the doll on her chest and playing with the little legs. She was silent for a few minutes before she spoke again. "I think I did something bad today..." She confessed.  
  
"What do you mean?" Bubbles asked.  
  
"Forget it..." Buttercup added softly, picking up the doll and handing it to her. "Go ahead and go to sleep..." She said, sighing and laying back on her pillow. Bubbles looked down at Octi thoughtfully.  
  
"Well if you do something bad you should tell someone, then that would make you a good girl again." Bubbles smiled over at Buttercup. "We learned that when Blossom stole the golf clubs, remember?" She asked. Buttercup didn't look at her staring at the ceiling as she replied.  
  
"No... I don't..." She whispered. Bubbles stared at her curiously. "Goodnight Bubbles..." Buttercup turned away from her, pulling the blanket tightly up around her shoulders. She waited until she felt Bubbles roll over the other way, her breathing falling back into its regular pattern.  
  
She didn't know what to do. She'd thought if she took Buttercup's place she could become Buttercup... but she still felt like an outsider. Was that what she would always be, no matter what she did?  
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The light trail behind the string of puffs was white there were so many colors inside of it. Buttercup brought up the front, hauling the others behind her like a kite as she weaved through passages and down corridors. She'd narrowly managed to avoid more rats, and even a few mutant bats that hung on the roofs of some of the larger caverns. Thankfully none could match their speed so far, so it looked like they would be relatively safe. Now if only they could find an exit.  
  
"Buttercup! Can we rest for a minute! Our arms are getting tired!" The purple puff right behind her yelled up to her. She looked back at the string, noticing a few hands only loosely clasped. She nodded and slowed down, finally coming to a stop and letting the chain separate. She left the group and walked forward a few yards, examining their surroundings for any signs of creatures.  
  
"How long do you think before we get out of here?" The purple puff asked. Buttercup looked at hr appraisingly. Finally she sighed and looked out into the cave.  
  
"I have no idea, I'm just running and hoping to stumble into an exit... there has to be one somewhere." She looked up at the ceiling. "You know, these caves are so long... they must run under the entire city of Townsville. If only we could just burst out the top, but we could very well bury ourselves down here."  
  
"We'll find one..." The purple puff replied confidently. She walked down the cavern a bit farther, heading into one of the larger chambers. She stopped just inside, her eyes going wide.  
  
"Hey, be careful. Things live in those kinds of caverns." Buttercup hurried after her. She however stopped alongside her when she saw what was in there. A single tree was in the dead center, easily as tall as a cathedral with branched thick with leaves so large they could have made boats for the girls. Perched on one branch of the tree was a group of Butterflies, each the size of a dog, their wings so intricately designed that she couldn't even see the gossamer fibers they were made of. They were illuminated by phosphorescent moss that was gathered around the trunk, Chemical-X enhanced so that it was almost as bright as a light bulb.  
  
"Wow..." The purple puff muttered. Buttercup looked up at the extremely high ceiling, hoping it would be high enough for them to busy out of, but there was a beehive sticking to the top of the cave. If she broke through the ceiling they would follow, and they would get to Townsville. So close and yet so far...  
  
Still, the sight of the Butterflies somehow lifted Buttercups spirits. It was good to know Chemical-X wasn't just good for making monsters of mass destruction... it could also make something like that. "Go get the others, we can rest here for a little while..." she said, suddenly feeling the pains of the days exertions haunting her. There was no way to tell time down here, but her eyes were trying to glue themselves shut now that there wasn't so much adrenaline pumping through her. They could rest awhile, then move on in what would be their morning. 


	2. Part 2

The following morning the clouds were dark and it was sprinkling water droplets, but Bubbles let that stop her from her previously planned journey into the woods to visit one of her good animal friends. They floated through the thick foliage mindlessly, looking for that little rodent. They continued until they heard the telltale sound of multiple zippings through the air.  
  
"Bullet!" Bubbles screeched happily as the squirrel slammed into the chest in a tackle/hug. She giggled and laughed while the squirrel chattered excitedly, rubbing its head against her cheek. "Hehehehe, she says hello!"  
  
Blossom smiled. "It's good to see her too." She said. Buttercup smiled inn agreement, then looked down at the ground. She had no clue who bullet was... how was she supposed to like seeing her? She quirked an eyebrow when she noticed the mud created by the sprinkling rain moving.  
  
"Bubbles, I would stand up if I were you." Buttercup said.  
  
"What?" Bubbles looked down to find a group of Earthworms making their way up through the soil. "Ewewewewew!" She leapt into the sky, floating in place and wiping the mud off of her. "I hate icky worms!" She yelled angrily. Blossom and Buttercup laughed, and even Bullet seemed to snicker slightly.  
  
"Come on Bubbles, it's not like little worms can hurt you." Blossom pointed out. They fell silent when they heard a soft rumbling from the ground. Within moments a giant head burst from the soil, rising high into the air. A hole on the end opened up, revealing several circular rows of teeth, each spinning like a chainsaw.  
  
"THAT worm can hurt me!" Bubbles complained, streaking away from it as it came crashing back down toward the ground. "EEEEK!" The worm slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, toppling over several trees without even trying.  
  
"Buttercup, Bubbles, operation Jump Rope, do it!" Blossom and Bubbles streaked off in unison, leaving Buttercup to stare after them, clueless. She had no idea what Operation Jump Rope was.  
  
"Come on Buttercup!" Blossom yelled from the things tail as it lifted up from the ground, ending in an almost club-like appendage.  
  
"Eeeep!" Bubbles leapt to the side as the thing tried to take her in its mouth, taking an entire mouthful of dirt instead. It swallowed it down, then reoriented on Bubbles somehow.  
  
"Buttercup!" Blossom screamed again. Buttercup could only watch helplessly, unsure of what she was supposed to do. "Okay fine, Bullet, get in here and take Buttercups place!" Blossom shouted. Bullet chattered and multi-streaked up to the mouth of the creature.  
  
Bubbles and Bullet each grabbed a side of its mouth, preventing it from closing while Blossom grabbed the tail. The thing thrashed wildly, sending them all flying off without warning.  
  
"Whoa, that's one strong monster!" Blossom exclaimed. "Come on Bubbles, Bullet, we have to try again!" They streaked up and each grabbed an end of the creature, pulling toward opposite sides. The creature thrashed again, but they were more ready this time, managing to hang on despite the tremendous force the creature applied in trying to shake them.  
  
Blossom, Bubbles, and Bullet began to spin the creature around in the air with each end, sending it around faster and faster until they finally let go, hurling the thing straight up until it eventually left the atmosphere. Buttercup looked up in awe, her mouth hanging open. She'd never have thought they could do something quite like that.  
  
She didn't have time to dwell on it though. Blossom floated up to her with fire in her eyes. "What happened Buttercup!? Why didn't you help!?" She screamed angrily. "We would have been in SERIOUS trouble if Bullet hadn't been here! And it would have been all your fault!"  
  
"I... I froze..." Buttercup lied.  
  
"You froze!? It's not like you to freeze! You freeze in front of a monster and someone gets hurt! You know that!" Blossom screamed in her face. Buttercup looked down at the ground, almost on the verge of tears. Finally Blossom relented and turned away, floating back over to Bubbles and Bullet.  
  
Buttercup looked up at the other two, who were watching her with a questioning gaze. Bubbles almost looked worried even, and confused. Buttercup wiped her eyes and turned away, staring up at the sprinkling clouds. She couldn't leave things like this anymore, she had to tell them the second they got home...  
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Buttercup gave a yawn as she finally woke. It felt like she'd slept forever, though she knew it couldn't have been that long. She was surprised to find one of the Butterflies right next to her on its stomach, its wings folded straight up so that they looked like a single appendage. Cautiously she reached a hand forward and touched its head. The antennae twitched in response, but otherwise it didn't wake up.  
  
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking around at the other puffs and Butterflies scattered around the ground. They were all sleeping soundly, with the exception of the purples puff who was sitting beside Buttercup, watching her.  
  
"You know, you need a name." Buttercup said.  
  
"A name?" The puff asked confusedly. "I'm Blossom.  
  
"Yeah well I know you were supposed to be Blossom, Bubbles, or Buttercup but... I think you need your own name. Not just one of ours." Buttercup told her. She stared at her for a minute, deep in thought. "I know, a purple dress... you can be Bunny." She smiled.  
  
"Bunny... I like that." The newly named Powerpuff Girl smiled, then stopped and cocked her head to the side. "Do you... hear something?" Buttercup stopped and listened. It almost sounded like a rustling sound from somewhere in the room.  
  
She floated up from the ground to survey the room. She spotted a long sinuous form winding its way through the sleeping shapes on the ground, a long pointed tongue darting from a close serpentine mouth. It was as thick around as the puffs themselves were, and so long it was halfway in the room while its body was still out the entrance.  
  
"No!" Buttercup screamed as it coiled and struck, snapping up one of the Butterflies into its mouth. Buttercup streaked down and grabbed it around the body, squeezing as hard as she could. "You're not eating anything here today!" She strained to hold its throat closed so it couldn't swallow. Finally it realized and spit the Butterfly back out, turning toward Buttercup herself.  
  
By this time most of the puffs and Butterflies had awakened and were watching Buttercup struggle with the snake as it coiled around her. Its long body wrapped around every inch of hers, squeezing tightly, but it couldn't bite her while she had its neck in a vice-grip. Buttercup bit her lip and closed her eyes to keep back a scream of pain as the coils tightened even more.  
  
Buttercups eyes snapped open then she felt part of the coil loosening. Several of the other puffs, led by Bunny, were pulling at the things body to try to straighten it out. Those who couldn't fly were pulling at its tail, which was still dangling on the ground.  
  
Buttercups gaze darted around the room, looking for anything to do with the snake until finally her eyes landed on the beehive. She whirled to unwrap the snake and give the other puffs more leeway. "Follow me!" She yelled, streaking up toward the beehive still clutching the snake. "Open wide!" She squeezed the sides of the snakes' mouth, forcing it open and its fangs out before she hooked the fangs onto the hive.  
  
She streaked back down to the ground, the other puffs following suit while the snake thrashed around, unable to free itself in midair. The bees from the hive began pouring out, coming to the hives defense against this intruder. Pretty soon the bees were shielding the snake from view, with its body writhing so madly it flung them off every few seconds only to have them come right back again.  
  
"Let's get out of here before the bees decide we're threats too." Buttercup said. She stopped on her way out to pick up the wounded Butterfly before she went, followed by the other puffs and Butterflies out into the darkness of the caverns. They made their way several corridors away before they stopped, Buttercup setting her Butterfly down so she could examine it.  
  
The poor things Antennae were bent and its wings were a crumpled mess, folded and bent halfway down where the snake had managed to get it in its mouth. Buttercup patted its head, but didn't get much of a response. A soft chattering sound and a slight movement of its head were its only responses.  
  
"I sure wish Bubbles were here right now... she could talk to you." Buttercup sighed, standing up and grabbing one wing. "I have to fix this thing, then you'll be as good as new." She tried to bend it back into shape, but the Butterfly pushed her away with its body, its antennae waving madly at the gathered puffs and Butterflies.  
  
"You want us to just leave you here? No way!" Buttercup exclaimed. It smacked her across the face with one of its antennae like a whip, the other pointing straight at the others. Buttercup stared at it for a few more moments before she finally sighed and nodded sullenly, stepping away from it.  
  
"I'll... take good care of your brothers... or sisters... or babies... um... your kin." Buttercup said as she inched toward the others, staring into the wounded Butterflies eyes. "You can't even understand me anyway but... goodbye." She turned to head down yet another of the tunnels many branching pathways, the rest of the puffs and Butterflies following. Now she had double the troupe to march through these caves... just kept getting better and better.  
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Buttercup remained silent the rest of the day while Bubbles and Blossom visited with Bullet. Bubbles had approached her occasionally to make sure she was all right, but Blossom didn't bother to so much as look at her let alone talk to her. She knew Blossom was still upset about earlier, it really could have been a disaster if they hadn't had a replacement around.  
  
By the time they got home Buttercup had long since reached her decision to tell them the truth. She wasn't able to do much of what she was sure the real Buttercup could, and that could cost not only her own life, but their lives too. Buttercup was a superhero, a role not jumped into so easily. So she waited until just after lunch and they were gathered in their bedroom, going about their normal activities.  
  
"Blossom, Bubbles... can I talk to you two?" Buttercup asked.  
  
"Sure!" Bubbles bounced over to the bed and sat down while Blossom walked over and sat beside her without a word.  
  
"Okay... this is very hard for me but I have to do it..." Buttercup took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to steel herself against the reaction she knew was coming.  
  
"Here, let Octi help." Bubbles grabbed her doll and held it out to her, smiling.  
  
"Um, no thanks..." Buttercup replied, taking a deep breath. "I'm... not the original Buttercup..." The others stared at her blankly for a few minutes.  
  
"Um... what?" Bubbles asked. "If you're not Buttercup then who are you?"  
  
"I am Buttercup just not the original... I was one of Professor Dicks creations, the only one to be perfect..." She explained, looking down at the floor nervously. "I thought I could take Buttercup's place but... I don't think I can anymore." She said.  
  
"So wait a minute... where's OUR Buttercup?" Blossom demanded.  
  
"I don't know... I... I threw her into the ocean near the site of Professor Dicks old lab..."  
  
"You WHAT!?" Blossom streaked over and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck. "You threw our sister into the ocean just so you could trick us into thinking you were our sister!?"  
  
"I know I'm sorry... I thought I could do it and we could all be happy but... but I do think Buttercup's still alive." Buttercup gasped out quickly when she felt Blossoms hands tightening around her throat.  
  
"What makes you say that huh?" Blossom demanded.  
  
"The hill collapsed just a few hours after I threw her in... I think she may have somehow caused it, and that would mean she HAS to still be alive!" Buttercup gasped out desperately. Blossom stared at her until finally she threw her back against the wall, letting go.  
  
"That would also mean she has to be underground somewhere, but I don't know of any cave entrances in that area of the city." Blossom got right to business in solving the problem of the missing Powerpuff Girl, but her eyes still bore into Buttercups, burning with a betrayed anger like she'd never seen before. "Come on Bubbles, we should search the perimeter of Townsville for any entrances we can find."  
  
"Wait, let me come help!" Buttercup exclaimed.  
  
"You've helped enough." Blossom shot back venomously. "Come on Bubbles." She streaked out the window, the blond haired puff following right behind her. Buttercup stared after them for only a moment before she streaked after them. She would help right what she did, whether they wanted her help or not.  
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Buttercup was pleased with their newfound progress. She was flying full-tilt through the passageways and the others were keeping pace. The Powerpuff Girls had decided to ride the Butterflies so they could move faster. The Butterflies were more powerful than the haphazardly created puffs, so could maneuver better and fly faster. Buttercup wondered if they were faster than she was, but this was no time for a race.  
  
"Whoa!" Buttercup ground to a sudden halt, the line of insects behind her narrowly avoiding slamming into her. Buttercup took a step back away from the shapes in front of her, visible only thanks to her essential night vision. They must have been hundreds of shapes, each the size of a cat covering the floors and walls for as far as she could see beyond. If she didn't know better, she'd think they looked like...  
  
"Roaches!" She exclaimed as the ones in front stood up on their many legs, their mandibles snapping at the air in her direction. "Turn around!" She streaked past the Butterflies in a green blue, the insects turning to follow just as fast with their riders hanging on for dear life.  
  
They streaked through several passageways, the cave extending onward farther and farther. Still the roaches kept up with them like the wall itself was moving to swallow them up. In a few minutes they emerged into one of the many giant underground caverns that seemed to serve as the biggest breeding ground for the many underground plants.  
  
She watched in surprise as a pair of leaves unfolded from the base of a plant, the bulb lifting up front the ground like a giant head, split horizontally along the middle like a mammoth mouth. Its leaves opened all the way, the roots sticking up from the ground and moving like whips toward them.  
  
"Scatter!" Buttercup screamed, streaking straight up while the Butterflies all took off in different directions. The plants mouth came down on the entrance just as the roaches reached it. The huge mouth swallowed them up by the dozens until they finally turned and ran off down the cave again, leaving the puffs alone with the giant thing.  
  
"To the other side of the cave!" Buttercup streaked down toward the entrance at the opposite end from the bugs, but the plant had already reoriented on its new prey. She stopped and shot backward to avoid the things mouth, streaking underneath it to get around. The whip-like roots shot upward however, wrapping around her legs and holding her still. "Gagh"! Let go of me!" She pulled at the root, but it held fast as the mouth reoriented.  
  
A screech filled the air as one of the Butterflies swooped in, its own mouth biting right through the thin section of the root while the puff that was riding it caught Buttercup, hauling her away just before the plants mouth closed. Buttercup looked in surprise to see Bunny carrying her down toward the second exit, flying through to meet the other Butterfly riding Puffs.  
  
"Thanks..." Buttercup smiled up at her savior as she slid down the Butterfly's side, standing in the middle of the crowd. "We can't stay down here too much longer, there are too many threats for us to avoid them all forever." She said. "Come on girls, let's get moving." She took off down the cave, the Butterflies following with the puffs riding. There had to be an exit somewhere close by.  
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The mouth of the cave opened in front of her like a dark pool, inviting the three Powerpuff Girls down into it. Blossom shot a somewhat unnerving glance back at Buttercup before she proceeded forward, moving slowly through the darkness. Their heightened vision made it seem like daylight, but they didn't even know if they were anywhere near where the old Buttercup was.  
  
"Buttercup!" Bubbles called out, her voice echoing through the cave like a siren. Blossom clamped one hand over her mouth.  
  
"Do you want to bring the whole place down on our heads Bubbles? Let's just look, not yell." Blossom said. They went only a short way down the cave before they ran into a barrier. A mass of white thread as thick around as a rope, and a stick showed it to be strong enough to trap an elephant. "What on Earth makes this kind of stuff? It's almost like a spider-web but it's way too big."  
  
"I don't think we want to find out..." Buttercup said nervously. They all stopped when they heard a soft rustling sound above them. The slowly turned and looked up to see a black shape clinging to the ceiling, a red mark on it's abdomen the only thing illuminated by the light from the entrance that reached them.  
  
"Black Widow!" Blossom yelled as the girls scrambled to get out of the things way when it lunged at them. It landed heavily on the ground, whirling with the speed of a snake to lunge at the Powerpuff Girls again. It gave a hideous shriek as it lunged for Buttercup.  
  
"Bubbles, Starburst Formation!" Blossom and Bubbles stood together facing the creature, the power pouring forth from their hands to combine and slam into the things side. The force of the strike was enough to blow it off balance for only a second before it lunged again, this time straight at Bubbles.  
  
"No!" Buttercup leapt at Bubbles, knocking her out of the way as the Black Widows mandibles closed around her stomach tightly. "AAAGH!" Buttercup screamed as the spiders' venom pumped into her. She tried to push it off of her, but she could already feel her entire body being set on fire by the excruciatingly powerful poison.  
  
"Buttercup!" Bubbles' yell was the last thing Buttercup heard before the pain overwhelmed her and she blacked out.  
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Deeper in the cave, Buttercup halted suddenly, quirking one ear to the air. Her hypersensitive hearing could pick up a faint echo of two familiar voices. "Blossom! Bubbles! They're down here looking for me! I can hear them! Follow me girls!" Buttercup took off through the winding caverns and passageways, followed closely by the line of Butterflies. The sounds were growing nearer and nearer, sounds of their voices... and the sounds of battle.  
  
"They're in trouble! Hurry it up!" She flew even faster, zipping through the caves without caring what kinds of things she may stir up. The sounds grew ever louder until their voices became clear.  
  
"Don't let it near her Bubbles!" Blossom's voice floated down to her, followed by an impact from her hitting something. Buttercup had a faint idea who they were talking about, but she didn't let herself get distracted by that. Finally the girls hove into view and she could see them fighting what looked like a giant spider, but there was a thick web in between her and them.  
  
"Blossom, Bubbles!" Buttercup exclaimed.  
  
"Buttercup!" Blossom yelled in surprise. "Get over here, we need your help!"  
  
"I'm trying!" Buttercup yelled back, firing her heat vision at one of the web strands. The web withstood it easily without even suffering a burn mark. "There's got to be a way past this stuff!" She yelled in frustration.  
  
"Girls!" Bunny yelled behind her. "Fire!" All eleven deformed Powerpuff Girls fired their heat vision at once, focusing on a single spot. The web began to smoke and bubble under the intense heat.  
  
"Yes yes keep it up!" Buttercup added her own heat vision to the mix, causing even more smoke to issue forth as the web began to melt. They had to hold it for a few minutes for the web to melt enough to allow passage, while the sounds of battle continued from the other side. Blossom and Bubbles seemed to be playing a game of keep away with the spider, keeping it distracted long enough for their sister to join them.  
  
Finally she was able to leap through the hole in the web, landing near her sisters. "I'm here!"  
  
"Good, now Starburst Formation!" Blossom yelled, leaping back to her. Bubbles leapt back to join them, each of them concentrating. The Chemical-X started boiling in their hands, the power therein writhing with anticipation of what was to come. As one the girls let it go, the three streams of power combining into one as it streaked through the cave.  
  
The blast slammed into the Spider, sending it sliding back toward the entrance of the cave in a cloud of dust. In a few moments it was out of sight, somewhere outside the cave.  
  
"What WAS that thing Buttercup?" Blossom demanded.  
  
"Later." Buttercup replied, looking back at the girls as they flew through the web one-by-one. "We have to go make sure the things really dead or Townsville's in serious trouble. You two stay with the imposter there." She shot a derisive glance down at her double before she turned to the others. "Let's go!" She streaked out the cave, followed by the wing of puffs.  
  
The eleven deformed puffs gave gasps of surprise and awe when they saw the sun shining down on the city of Townsville through a veil of dark rain clouds. They'd spent their whole lives in Professor Dicks dark, drab laboratory. Even the wind that blew in from the north was something new to them, but Buttercup couldn't give them time to gawk at the sights. She spotted the spider heading straight for the city.  
  
"Come on! Dive bomb it!" Buttercup turned and flew straight down toward it, the Butterflies turning as one to follow her in a large V formation. At once the entire wing of puffs fired their heat vision, raining down a barrage of blasts on the things exoskeleton. It barely seemed to feel it however, continuing on its straight path to the city.  
  
"Alright, let's end it!" Buttercup turned down again, this time now swerving until she was inches from the ground. She brought her fist up and hit it in the head, sending it flying onto its back. "NOW! All in the same spot!" She yelled, flying back up. The puffs all fired their heat vision at the things head. It shrieked and flailed about with its eight legs, but on its back it was practically helpless.  
  
Within minutes it fell still. The girls high overhead cheered and gave each other high-fives of victory, those that had well attached arms did anyway. Buttercup floated up toward them, taking a deep breath of the fresh air as she turned back to Townsville. She'd only been gone for about a day she would wager, but it felt like it was an eternity since she'd seen it. She had to admit, she'd missed it.  
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"Is she okay Professor?" Blossom asked worriedly as Professor Utonium laid the poisoned Buttercup copy down on the couch in the living room. He took out a needle and gave her a shot of something, then patted her arm and stood up, turning to the others.  
  
"If she's going to pull through, we'll know by morning. I don't know what it was that did this, but it wasn't anything natural." He told them. "This venom is a hundred times more potent than anything I've ever seen."  
  
"It's the Chemical-X" Buttercup told them. They turned to look at her in surprise, so she explained everything she'd seen and found under the ground, the fact that the Chemical-X from Dick's girls had leaked into the caves and been drunk by the creatures. How she'd found the living girls, and how they'd come to have the Butterflies the girls were still riding in the backyard while they talked.  
  
"That explains the Earthworm too..." Blossom mused with a hand on her chin. Everyone else exchanged a glance, then looked out the back window at the remaining Chemical-Xtreme puffs.  
  
"What do we do with them? Melt them down like the others?" The Professor asked.  
  
"No Professor!" Buttercup complained immediately. "They're... they're not just things, they helped me and... and I don't want to see them hurt." The others all stared at her in surprise. "Besides, those Chemical-X creatures are still down there... and we're busy with the crime and normal monsters as it is." She said with a small smile.  
  
"Yeah, that's right..." Blossom smiled back. "We're way too busy to go Chemical-X creature hunting in addition to everything else, we need a team that can take care of them without our help."  
  
"Yeah, and they need a leader too, someone they can depend on to help them figure things out." Bubbles looked down at the sleeping Buttercup copy on the couch, who was already looking a little better after her encounter with the spider.  
  
"Well I think you girls are really on to something here." The Professor replied with a gentle smile, looking out back as the other puffs played with their butterfly friends, laughing and smiling.  
  
Blossom turned to her brunette sister, smiling appraisingly. "You know, I think you've grown up a little bit during this whole ordeal Buttercup."  
  
"What? Nah." Buttercup replied with a smirk. "You're just imagining things." She said, looking out at the other puffs almost like a mother watching her children play in the yard. Blossom smiled conspiratorially and shot a glance at Bubbles, who was giggling. Their sister was back, but in a smaller way it wasn't quite her. Their sister was brash and thoughtless... but this one was loving and almost doting. She had grown up, whether she realized it or not.  
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The Serpentine form slithered through the center of the street, hissing at the people who ran in all directions regardless of whether they ran away from or towards it. It hissed and shot out its fork-like tongue, a loud shriek as it coiled up in the street. It stopped though when it heard a sound from high up above somewhere.  
  
It turned to look up at the sun, seeing a dozen black forms silhouetted against it. The sun glinted off of gossamer wings attached to eleven of the shadows, sending a rainbow of colors down to the street below. Without warning one of the shadows broke off from the rest, zooming down away from the rest as they neared.  
  
Eleven deformed looking Powerpuff rode atop eleven dog-sized Butterflies, their eyes all glowing red as they began to near the creature. Without warning the twelfth figure came up from underneath, slamming one fist into its head with a loud crunch.  
  
"Don't mess with me and my sisters!" She yelled as everything went black.  
  
  
THE END 


End file.
